


Play Me

by MilaReyloJennings



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Ben is a pianist, Consensual Underage Sex, Denial of Feelings, Divorced Ben Solo, Divorced Rey, Dominant Kylo Ren, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, F/M, Family Fluff, Family Secrets, Flashbacks, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Heartbreak, Kylo Ren's identity is a secret, Leia and Han fostered teenager Rey, Love at First Sight, Misunderstandings, Music, Mutual Pining, Orphan Rey (Star Wars), Past Ben/Kaydel Ko Connix, Past Ben/Tricia Kenobi, Past Relationship(s), Past Rey/Finn with a kid, Piano, Piano Sex, Pianorgasm, Rey Needs A Hug, Rey needs piano lessons, Romantic Fluff, Soft Ben Solo, The Force, Underage Kissing, Voyeurism, Young Ben Solo, Young Rey
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:13:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24812878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MilaReyloJennings/pseuds/MilaReyloJennings
Summary: Ben Solo is a talented pianist who could have become famous but decided to come back to his hometown after the debacle of his marriage. Rey is an orphan who lost her parents in a fire when she was  twelve, but was fostered by Leia and Han Solo who treated her like their daughter. As a young child, she loved playing piano too; but only the famous pianist Kylo Ren, a mysterious man who keeps his face hidden behind a carnival mask, triggers an old desire to play this beautiful instrument again...Rey  fell secretly in love with Ben when she was fourteen, but as she was way too young for him, he broke Rey's heart when he found an older girlfriend (Kaydel) and headed to the capital with her. Rey, then seventeen, eventually mended her heart and  later married her childhood friend Finn, but her very first love always stayed somewhere in the back of her head...Seven years later, when Ben comes back to his little town, he's divorced from Kaydel while Rey's divorcing from Finn, with whom she still shares a daughter, Jannah, and a house. Rey believed she was over Ben, but the news of his return brings back some painful and happy memories. Besides, she needs a piano teacher. Who would be better in this role than Ben?
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey & Ben Solo, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 9
Kudos: 12





	Play Me

**Author's Note:**

> Beta by MyJediLife <3
> 
> I think I clarified in the tags and in the summary that Ben and Rey's previous relationships are over, but just in case I repeat it again: Ben and Rey are both SINGLE now. There is no ambiguity anymore between Ben and Kaydel, or between Rey and Finn, even though Rey still lives in the same house than Finn for financial reasons.
> 
> There will be a REYLO Happy Ending to this story, don't worry!

**Emita, in the province of Chandrila**

  
  


_Are you leaving?_

_Is there a better place?_

_I guess_

_The doors are open, remember to take care_

It was a cold and foggy day in the Province of Chandrila when Ben Solo left his mother and father’s house to go live two thousands miles away in Republic City, the capital of the system. He loved his family so much that he had hesitated for months before making the final decision, but an offer to be a piano teacher at the Conservatory in the biggest city of the system was not an offer he could refuse. Besides, his girlfriend Kaydel had an opportunity to work there too, and was very excited at the idea of discovering the place where everything was possible. 

It was an emotional moment for Ben, as almost all the people he loved were gathered in the old familial house to tell him goodbye and wish him good luck: Leia, his mother, who had also encouraged him to take the extra step, his father Han, who would have preferred him to remain a fireman - but had learnt to accept his choices, his “uncle” Chewbacca, but also his grandparents, Anakin and Padme, who had travelled from Naboo just for the occasion despite being very old and not in the best shape; as they knew they wouldn’t see Ben for a long time. They really wanted to be there for him. Gary, Leia and Han’s adorable French bulldog, didn’t stop barking, as if his sixth sense told him that one of his master would soon be leaving for another place, far far away from home....

Ben Solo’s heart was full from the love he was receiving, though one person was missing. Ben knew she was in the house, and, as he suspected, probably lurking through her window. He gave an interrogating look to Leia, but his mother sadly shook her head. Rey, his little sweetheart, his “ray of light” as he called her, refused to leave her room to give him one last kiss. Leia had tried in vain to convince her to tell him goodbye, but had just obtained a loud silence from the girl behind the door. 

_  
  
_

_Hold on_

_I hear the silence in whole this empty space_

_Like noise_

_Every whisper and every single breath_

_  
  
_

Ben felt his heart break, as he would have really wanted to hold Rey tight one last time, but he knew that if Leia hadn’t found the words to change her mind, no one else would, even him. At least…. Not after what had happened between them. 

Ben hugged each member of his family tightly, as if he was never going to see them again, even if he intended to visit them as often as he could and knew they would sometimes go to Republic City for him in spite of their distaste for the capital. 

_  
  
_

_Are you leaving?_

_Is there a better place?_

_I guess_

_The doors are open, remember to take care_

_  
  
_

Before climbing into the ship his father had loaned to him until he bought his own, the Millenium Falcon, with the last luggage he needed, Ben raised his eyes one last time to check if he could see a glimpse of his ray of light before he left the Solo-Skywalker mansion for good. He felt his heart pounding when, at last, Rey’s pretty face appeared behind the closed window of her room. He couldn’t be sure, but he was almost sure she was crying. He smiled, waved at her and sent her a kiss… Her expression remained serious, but she put her little hand on the glass as a way to tell him goodbye. He kept his eyes up for a few more seconds, then reluctantly turned his back and got in the Falcon, where a hired copilot was already waiting, after waving one last time to his family. 

_  
  
_

_Are you leaving? (Are you leaving?)_

_Are you leaving there? (Are you leaving there?)_

_Are you leaving? (Are you leaving?)_

_Are you leaving there? (Are you leaving there?)_

_  
  
_

**_Soundtrack: Hania Rani - Leaving_ **

_  
  
  
  
  
  
  
_

**Seven years later - Emita**

_  
  
_

_“It's my direction_

_It's my proposal_

_It's so hard_

_It's leading me astray_

_My obsession_

_It's my creation_

_You'll understand_

_It's not important now_

_All I need is_

_Co-ordination_

_I can't imagine_

_My destination_

_My intention_

_Ask my opinion_

_But no excuse_

_My feelings still remain_

_My feelings still remain”_

**_Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Souvenir_ **

_  
  
  
  
_

_A Feminine voice was speaking..._

_“Rey…. Rey, do you hear me?! Get out of here, darling!_

_……. Rey ! ………. Please, Mister, find my daughter! She’s playing piano downstairs! …….. REY, GET OUT !!”_

_The female’s voice faded away, followed by a masculine, loud voice._

_“Rey, wake up. Wake Up.”_

_  
  
  
_

“Mum! Wake up ! I’m hungry… Mum!”

Still caught in the maze of a dream that had pursued her all night, Rey groaned and held her little girl Jannah tight against her, in a vain attempt to convince her to cuddle with her and get back to sleep. Unfortunately for her mother, the child was very much awake, and obstinately refused Rey’s request to rest a little more in her arms.

“Mummy, wake up!” she repeated, shaking Rey with as much strength as her tiny arms allowed her to. Finally, the young woman accepted letting go of her dream to make herself available for Jannah, who happily jumped on her bed when she saw her tired mother slowly getting up.

“I’m going to pee, after I’m going to tickle your foot ! Don’t get up before I tickle you!”

The four year old screamed as she ran towards the bathroom. A fond smile appeared on Rey’s lips: Jannah still didn’t retain the distinction between “foot” and “feet”, but she definitely knew what tickling meant. She meekly waited for her daughter to come back, glad to stay lying in the bed a few more seconds; she tried to keep the dream she had in her head - but knew it was hopeless: as much as she often tried, she never managed to remember her dreams more than a couple of minutes, especially when it was related to her parents…. She knew it was one of these dreams. 

Anyways, Jannah didn’t let her have any time left to pull herself together: she climbed back on the mattress and started tickling Rey’s feet; or at least, she tried to! Jannah wasn’t very good at this “exercise” yet, but Rey was happy to pretend she was sensitive to Jannah’s tiny fingers. Rey and Jannah’s father, Finn, had made tickling a family habit, Jannah always being a very consenting victim! She was such a joy to tease: her parents just had to touch any part of her body for her to burst into laughter.

After their little session of laughs mixed with tender cuddles, Jannah announced that she would wait for Rey to prepare breakfast in bed, “reading a book”. Of course the little girl was too young to know reading yet - though Finn tirelessly tried to teach her, sure that she was already intellectually ready and curious enough - but she loved picking her favorite books and flipping through them, looking at the pictures and recalling the story they illustrated.

Rey quickly checked the room she used to share with Finn: her soon to be ex-husband was still sleeping, even if it was a couple minutes past nine: it was Saturday, a day off for Finn, who allowed himself to get up late. 

Rey then threw a brief glance at Jannah’s room and smiled when she saw her lovely daughter cuddled up with the dictionary for children that her adoptive grandmother, Leia, had given her for her fourth birthday. Jannah looked very serious, as if she was actually trying to read what was written there. Just like Finn, Rey was sure that their daughter would probably want to read sooner than other children, though she was currently more interested in hearing her parents telling the stories for her. 

Rey felt blessed for the life she had, even if it hadn’t always turned out the way she wanted. She was an orphan at twelve, after her parents died in the desert of Jakku - in circumstances Rey couldn’t remember due to memory loss; yet the Force had helped her when it brought her into the home of Leia and Han Solo, who had treated her as their daughter ever since. 

She had married her best friend Finn and shared fantastic moments with him, but for the last couple of years their relationship had gotten strained to the point that they couldn’t even touch each other anymore. In the most peculiar way, their relationship had gone full circle: their friendship had turned into love, which after seven years had turned into friendship again. If anything, Rey was thankful for the gift that life had given to them: Jannah, their beautiful, smart and funny little girl. Even in the midst of their separation, she had been the glue that had kept them united.

While she was preparing Jannah’s cereal and coffee for her and Finn, she received a call from Leia, the woman who had been the closest thing to a mother that Rey had had since she had lost her two parents eleven years ago. Rey liked to take her time to make breakfast without being disturbed as a part of her morning ritual, but she didn’t hesitate one second before taking the call, as it was always a great pleasure to talk with Leia, whose smiling hologram appeared in the middle of the living room. Unlike Rey, who was still in her pajamas, Leia was already dressed and looked very chic - as usual. Gary, her French pitbull, also had his hologram seated besides her, and barked at the sight of the young woman who used to play every day with him when she was still a teenager.

“Good morning, sweetheart! How are you doing? I hope I don’t disturb anything?”

“No, not really! Jannah and I have just woke up, and I’m making breakfast.”

“Have you slept with her again?” Leia asked a bit severely.

Rey blushed, but confessed:

“Yeah, I was exhausted and she held me tight, I couldn’t resist… But I try to avoid doing that. In my defense, the couch is not very comfortable, and I get headaches when I sleep in a bad position… I really can’t wait to have my own bed!”

“I still think Finn could be a gentleman and let you have the big bed until you find yourself a place you can call “home,” Leia observed, obviously concerned about the girl she often called daughter. 

“I already told you, Finn offered to take the couch, but he works hard all week, he needs a good sleep. I work from home and I can follow my own schedule, so I can take a nap whenever I want! Finn is already so nice with me, he doesn’t pressure me into leaving the house at all, and even insists that I complete my college courses first. I don’t want to abuse his kindness more.”

Leia seemed to accept her explanations, moving on to the next subject:

“Whatever, after all, it’s your life, and I understand you want to spare Finn, for surely it’s the best for you and the little one. By the way, where’s my sunshine?

“She’s still in her bed, “reading,” Rey replied as she mimed the question marks with her fingers.

“Bless her. There’s a special reason why I called: Ben’s back! I mean, he’ll be here in two days. Maybe you knew already? I can never figure out if you guys keep talking to each other, or not.”

Fortunately for Rey, she had her back turned on Leia when she heard the big news, so the latter didn’t see her facial expression change. Rey tried not to sound emotional when she admitted:

“I must say we haven’t talked in ages…. We are both so busy, and of course with all the drama between me and Finn, I didn’t have much time for anything else…” she muttered.

She felt ashamed, as she knew she was not being totally honest with Leia: Ben had actually tried to call her a couple of times, but Rey had never answered. There was a time when he would send her letters written in calligraphy, but she had burnt all her answers before sending them…When Rey looked at Leia at last, she could see on her face that she was not entirely convinced by her reply, so she asked:

“I guess he comes for a visit - and you’d like us to come home for a big family party?

“He actually comes back for good, my dear! He’s leaving Republic City.”

_  
  
_

Rey’s heart started pounding so fast that it felt like it wanted to pop out her chest. “ _Ben is coming back to Emita_ ”, her inner voice was now repeating in a loop. It was way too much to handle before her morning coffee, she thought, as she tried to keep a straight face when she resumed the discussion with Leia:

“Wow, so Kaydel accepted going back to Emita? It’s already surprising news as far as Ben is concerned, but Kaydel? I can still hear her say that she would never live in the province again, even if she was given millions…” Rey recalled cheerfully.

“Oh, no, she didn’t. Ben and Kaydel are divorcing, too. That’s why Ben is coming back to Emita: he wants to be close to his loved ones… It’s a hard time for him.”

_  
  
_

That last news took Rey by surprise; overwhelmed by the conflict inside that the news brought, she dropped the cup of coffee she had just filled on the floor.

“Shit!” she groaned as she saw her favorite mug broken in pieces at her feet, and her pajama pants covered with drops of coffee.

_  
  
_

“Are you alright, sweetheart?” Leia asked, as she had seen everything.. “Did you burn yourself?”

“No, it went mostly on the floor… But it’s the mug you gave me for my birthday…. I’m so sorry, I’m barely awake.”

“Never mind, darling. I’ll let you take your breakfast in peace now, I just wanted to tell you that. By the way,” Leia added, “Yes, I definitely want you and Jannah to come _this time_.”

Rey blushed when she saw Leia’s serious look. Rey had managed to skip almost all the family reunions that involved Ben, even if she had probably been the one who had suffered the most from her behaviour. She missed Ben since he had left Emita, and had tried for the last seven years to lead a normal life and to consider the feelings she had for Ben as a youthful mistake of no importance. She had almost succeeded when she had let her feelings for Finn transition into love… But she would have lied if she had claimed she had not often wondered what Ben was up to, especially after she had realized her marriage was over.

She often thought that it was because of the love she had kept for him that she had also lost Finn, her soon to be ex-husband - but also her best friend. When she was honest with herself, she had to admit that she had never managed to have for him the strong feelings she had for Ben, no matter how dearly she loved him, and how hard she had tried to make their relationship work.

Rey was about to refuse the invitation with “pathetic excuse number 12” when Jannah barged in:

“Grandma!” she screamed with a delighted voice, before running to Leia’s hologram to give her a hug. "Hey Gary!", she added with a stroke on the head of Gary the dog.

Leia welcomed “her sunshine” with pleasure and asked how she was. Gary barked again, his way to say "hello" to the little one. Gary loved Jannah and and never groaned at her, even when she teased him. After a short but passionate discussion with the little girl, who explained to her adoptive grandmother that she went fishing for the first time with her father, and got a scalefish almost as big as those she had already seen on Naboo, Leia asked her gently if she wanted to come to her and Grandpa Han’s house to see her “Uncle Ben”.

“Yes, oh yes!” the little girl replied with excitement, as she always loved to visit Leia and Han. “Is it Uncle Ben who plays piano?”

“Yes sweetheart, it’s him! He will be here in two days, and he will surely be very happy to meet you… if your mummy consents to come with you, of course!” Leia claimed, not without addressing a long and charged look at Rey.

“Oh, it’s so great! We listen to him sometimes. Though Mum watches the man with a… hmmm… a MASK… more! Kylo Ren! And Mum plays piano too now, she told you, Grandma? Oh Mum! I want to go!!”

Rey’s smile grew larger even though she knew she was now in a difficult position… Leia was such a good strategist: she knew that if she had Jannah on her side, Rey wouldn’t dare to refuse, let alone accept, only to change her mind later - for it would make her daughter cry! And after all, wasn’t it a good time to make peace with her past and embrace it, instead of endlessly running away from it? It’s with these hopeful ideas in mind that she gladly accepted Leila’s invitation. Leia’s cry of joy made Rey blush again, and she could even feel her surrogate mother’s happiness flowing through her.

“Awww marvellous, everyone will be here! You two, maybe Finn too? Ben, Lando, Chewie, Mum and Dad! I may even convince my brother Luke to leave his cave?! Oh well, I don’t hold my breath for that - but only the Force knows how can people surprise us! We’ll have the biggest family party we’ve had in years!” Leia cheered like a little girl, which encourages Jannah to laugh and clap her hands with her. 

“Can we bring BB8?” The child asked. BB8 was the droid that Rey had found one day when she was scavenging in an old factory. She had repaired it and had made him the family pet and sometimes nanny for Jannah, though the latter saw him more like a game companion.

“Of course! If my grumpy brother deigns to bring his old skull to our house, I’ll ask him to bring his R2D2. He’s surely as old as me and Luke are, but I’m sure he and BB8 will have a lot to talk about!”

She was so excited that, to Rey’s satisfaction, she probably forgot the moment when Jannah had told her about her and the piano. A couple of months ago, Rey had found an old piano that she had decided to repair, with the intention of selling it on the HoloNet. But after she had attended the great pianist Kylo Ren’s recital in Hanna City a couple of weeks ago, she had an unexpected and irrepressible desire to play music again, even though she hadn’t touched a piano since she had been found by the Solo family more than ten years ago… 

As she reflected on her tortuous relationship with music, Rey remembered the withdrawn teenager who had just lost her parents in a fire that had destroyed their house and left her all alone - until the Solo’s came and welcomed her into their lives... 

  
  


**Rey’s souvenirs, about ten years ago**

When Rey was fourteen, she had lived at the Solo Mansion with Leia and Han for only a year. Ben was twenty-three, but after a year living with his best friend Poe Dameron in a tiny apartment, he had decided he wanted to be a professional piano player - because that was what he loved the most, and not a fireman like his father. To accomplish that, he needed to save money for the Conservatory of Hanna City, which was why he asked if he could get his bedroom back for a while to stay in. 

During the year that had followed Rey’s integration into the Solo family, she had regularly seen Ben at home, but he considered her more like a friend of the family than like his adoptive sister, as he should probably have.

Yet, even if Ben was not living with Leia and Han when they had decided to welcome the young orphan in their home, he had been the first one to make her laugh, and even talk again after a long silence of two months. Han and Leia had been told by a doctor that Rey had been so traumatized by what had happened to her and her parents that she had turned mute; he had even warned them that maybe she would never speak again! And indeed, despite the love and attention that Leia and Han had lavished on her, Rey didn’t say a word for more than two months, nor did she smile. She went to the local school and worked hard, but she always stayed in her corner and never talked to anyone, not even her teachers, who fortunately were very patient with her and didn’t try to force her. She didn’t make any friends, but fought once with several pupils who mocked her distant behaviour and beat them up so hard that the director had no other choice but call her parents and have her suspended for a week. Rey later revealed that back when she lived in Jakku, known for its high rate of criminality, she spent much time by herself in the streets and learnt to fight with a stick in order to protect herself.

Rey also didn’t seem interested in anything, as she was always lost in her thoughts. There was only one exception: sometimes, she snuck into a room where a beautiful black YamaHo piano was standing; she barely touched its keys, but it was enough to make her shiver and even put a tiny smile on her face when there was no one around to see her. 

It was Ben, and only him, who had changed that. Rey knew it was Ben’s piano, and that he played since he was four; when she had learnt this about him, before even meeting him, she was already intrigued by this young man who had first embraced a fireman’s career and was obviously very athletic, but was also a meloman in his free time… This, at least, until he decided he wanted to live off what he loved, and what he loved more than anything was his piano. 

Shortly after the young man took his room back in the family house, Rey came back from school one day and heard the strangled sound of the piano coming out from its room. Curiosity pushed the young girl to come closer. As she recognized the keys of a piece of music she knew well, Rey felt her heart beating fast and pushed the half closed door of the room to see who was seated on the piano chair.

It was Ben, of course, and he was playing Debussy’s “Clair de Lune”, or at least he was trying to, as a certain passage to be played with the left hand was so difficult it obliged him to play it over and over at a slow pace to get it right. It was obvious, though, that Ben had been working hard on this music piece, for he got almost all the rest right and _andante_ , just like it was required to be played. When Ben eventually played it entirely from the beginning and made almost no mistakes, he put so much emotion in it that tears started flowing from the eyes of his secret admirer, whose hands gripped the door as if she was afraid to fall under the weight of her own feelings. Her face was wet when Ben finished playing, and instead of leaving silently as she had planned to do first, she clapped her hands, quietly but loud enough to be heard.

Ben, surprised to have company, turned his head to face the door. At first he seemed to be slightly upset to have been spied upon, as he generally preferred to be alone to rehearse, but when he recognized Rey his face instantly lit up. 

“Rey!” he cheered. “I didn’t feel you lurking there… Did you listen? You like piano?”

He asked these questions naturally, but as Rey remained silent and embarrassed he seemed to recall she refused to talk, for he kindly told her:

“You can come closer if you want… Don’t be afraid, I feel it too, sometimes… There are moments when we just want to listen and observe, instead of blabbing all the time. I get that, really.”

Touched by Ben’s compassion, and very curious to get a close look at the music score, Rey accepted his invitation and entered the room to approach the piano player. She focused on the score and heard the music play in her head as the keys scrolled before her eyes wide open.

Ben observed her for a few seconds before asking: “You’re reading it, aren’t you? You’ve learned how to read music?”

After a short moment of hesitation, Rey nodded. Ben smiled, and proposed that she played, but she shook her head. She couldn’t resist the temptation of touching the keys, though. Ben was now looking at her with such a soft look that she blushed, and felt for the first time in months a strong connection with this young man whose amber eyes seemed to peer into her very soul… 

Rey strangely felt comfortable with Ben, as if she had known him forever and felt she could trust him. That’s why, pointing out the music score with her finger, she eventually said her first words since she entered the Solo Mansion:

“Please, play it again….”

Ben’s smile grew wider, as he was obviously delighted to hear the young girl speak at last. He did what she asked with an evident delight and, as she learnt later, better than he had ever done. His hands were unbelievably large, yet his long fingers ran gracefully on the keyboard, almost dancing on it. Rey didn’t cry this time, but she felt as she had just awakened from a very long night of sleep only filled with scary nightmares. 

“Thank you,” she said. A sad smile then appeared on her lips as she continued: “I play piano too, since I was five. I mean, I used to… _Clair de Lune_ was my mother’s favorite music score, and I… I wanted to play it like the best piano players did, so I spent all my free time on my piano… I wanted to make her proud…” She stopped when she felt tears flowing down her cheeks again. 

Ben simply took her hand and gently squeezed it. 

“Thank you Rey, for talking to me…” he said. “You’ve got a lovely voice. And a lovely smile, too.”

Rey’s face flushed under the compliment. She stared at him and felt irremediably turned on by his sweet amber eyes that kept looking at her intensely, by his sensual lips that called for a kiss, and even by his ears that stuck out under a flowing mass of dark hair.... 

She also remembered with pain in her heart her mother’s face, and her father, how they were happy together. _But then fire came into our house and destroyed everything._ A thought she was not ready to share with Ben. Not yet.

Ben whispered with a very low and deep voice:

“Rey, I know it’s surely too early to ask you so soon after meeting, but since we now live in the same house I hope that in time you’ll consider me a bit like a brother…”

_“No.”_

Rey tried to smile and replied:

“Thank you, Ben, for your kind words. Who knows, maybe someday I will?”


End file.
